The present invention generally relates to methods and apparatus for applying product to areas and, in particular, applying product in either liquid or granular form or both.
In turf management of golf courses, lawns, parks, or the like, it is necessary to periodically apply product in granular form or in liquid form such as fertilizer, insecticide, herbicide and the like. Similarly, it is desirable to apply product to other types of application areas such as salt to roadways, parking lots, driveways, or the like. Conventionally, product could be applied in manual manners. However, various forms of mechanized applicators have been developed especially for applying products to larger application areas. Such applicators utilize vehicular forms where the operator sits on or walked behind the applicator. However, such prior applicators had various deficiencies. As an example, it is often necessary for such applicators to traverse rough terrain in the application area and/or in moving to the application area including, but not limited to, traversing cement curbs extending along roads, driveways, or the like, with operators which are carried by prior applicators often being jolted or otherwise subjected to bumps or the like. Similarly, application areas often include portions such as sidewalks where it is not desired or economical to apply product, with prior applicators not having the ability to differentially apply product to the application area and/or including complicated controls to differentially apply product to the application area. Due to the size of application areas, it is often necessary for the operator to make multiple passes requiring product application to be stopped at the ends when turning to prevent excessive application at overlapping application areas. Thus, it is often necessary for the operator to stop and start the applicator multiple times and at desired times and often while simultaneously turning or performing other operations. Control of prior applicators was difficult to perform and often resulted in application errors and/or required that movement of the applicator on the application area to be stopped to allow adjustment operations. In addition to application errors, prior applicators resulted in operator fatigue, discomfort or the like.
Thus, a need has arisen for methods and apparatus for applying product in either liquid or granular form and which overcomes the deficiencies of prior applicators and which are otherwise advantageous.